Penne Arrabbiata

This recipe is from The Silver Spoon Pasta (Phaidon Press, $39.95 hardcover with illustrations and color photographs). Throughout this cookbook the authors provide details about different kinds of pasta shapes and the best ways to cook and sauce each of them. 

Here penne is used.  Here is the authors' primer:

"These short, diagonally-cut tubes have a streamlined shape similar to a quill pen (penne means “quills” in Italian). Typical of the region of Calabria in southern Italy, but probably one of the most commonly used of all short pasta types, penne is chewy and substantial and can be “lisce” (smooth) or “rigate” (ridged) on the surface. If not specified in the recipe, you can use both types. Penne can also vary in size, and although it is typically ½ inch in diameter and about 2 inches long, it can also be mezze penne, which is half the size, or pennette, which is even smaller. Penne can be used with almost any ingredient and goes well with meat, fish, and vegetables. It also suits a variety of cooking methods, including frying and baking in oven-baked dishes such as Pasticcio."

 

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves 4

6 tablespoons oil
2 garlic cloves
½ fresh chile, seeded and chopped
1 pound 2 ounces canned chopped tomatoes, drained
12 ounces penne lisce
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt

Heat the oil in a skillet, add the garlic cloves and chile, and cook until the garlic browns. Remove the cloves from the pan and discard. Add the tomatoes to the pan, season with salt, and cook for about 15 minutes. Cook the penne in large pan of salted boiling water until al dente, then drain, and tip into the skillet. Toss over high heat for a few minutes, then transfer to a warm serving dish. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately.

 

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